1988 Yamaha 20hp 2 stroke short shaft

cdnbluez

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Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
3
Hello all, new to the forum.
I just bought an old Yamaha 20, I'm picking it up Monday. Want some opinions. I agreed to pay $625 for it, am I buying a headache? I heard it run in a pail, starts fine, engages forward and reverse, idles fine. Needs a kill switch, have to cross two wires to kill the motor. The guy said he bought it 2 years ago from someone that drained the lower gear oil in the fall, but forgot to put the plug back in. In the spring the boat was launched and the gear case filled with water. He replaced seals, some bearings, and impeller. Impeller is working great, water comes out real strong. Cosmetically, cowl is scratched up, but no oxidation on the shaft or lower unit. Does anyone know what the compression should be? Thanks.
 

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kfa4303

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Sep 17, 2010
Messages
6,094
Re: 1988 Yamaha 20hp 2 stroke short shaft

Hi cdnbluez. Welcome to iboats. Generally speaking, Yamaha has a very good reputation in the outboard world. The old 2-stroke models are especially sought after for their great power-to-weight ratios and reliability. Check out any boating show where the host travels the world and chances are the locals are using 2-stoke Yamis like the "Enduro" model.The price is usually dependent on local comps, but to give you some idea of what to expect a good late model 30-40hp, 2-stroke, 3cylinder, tiller drive, Yami down here in FL can go for up to $2k, or more if it's really nice. Assuming all is well on the motor aside from the cosmetics, I'd say $650 isn't too bad. Although, you might try to talk him down to $500-$550. All that being said, I have an old '66 20hp Johnson that is still running strong and it only cost me $100 + $100 in parts to get her up and running. It even came with a free parts motor. I can see you have another vintage motor in the 3rd pic, so an oldie, but goodie may worth looking into.
 
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